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[Iscah]

Are Australians even afraid of the brush fires? I mean there's all kinds of other things down there that can cause havoc and kill people.

I have a friend down there not close to the fires themselves but close enough to complain about the smoke. He reports there hasn't been instances of things like giant spiders mutated by eating the brush fire running into populated areas yet.

Not "brush fires", bushfires - ie. forest fires, across several states, and when we've already been in drought for some time. They are far more dangerous than the animals that people like to make a big deal about. An entire region was evacuated because of it.

The images coming from the fires themselves are terrifying, as is the map of how big an area is affected. I'm fortunate to be nowhere near it, but there was thick smoke haze over the city yesterday that looked like fog.

What is Australia's position on climate change?

Our prime minister's position is to keep his head in the sand as long as possible (preferably in Hawaii), and wonder why people in bushfire-affected communities don't want to shake his hand when he comes to visit...

For everyone else, this may finally serve as a wake-up call.